This invention relates to a gas induction device. More particularly it relates to a gas induction device suitable for use in anaesthetizing a child.
Present-day techniques of inducing anaesthesia in small children include intravenous or intramuscular injection of drugs, rectal administration of drugs, gaseous induction of anaesthesia with gas or vapour via the respiratory tracts, or a combination of any two or more of these techniques. All of these techniques suffer from certain disadvantages. With the gaseous induction technique, the child usually needs a lot of pre-operative sedative medicine to quieten it before the anaesthetist is able to approach it with the gas delivery system. The gas delivery system usually comprises a black, and to the child unfamiliar and fear-inducing, mask, which needs to be held to the child's face. Invariably a struggle develops, resulting in the child holding its breath or starting to scream or cry. Clearly this is not desirable and may even cause psychological harm to the child.
It is an object of the present invention to overcome or at least alleviate the above disadvantages.